Media release – Kathrine Morgan-Wicks, Secretary Department of Health, 12 August 2022
Major reform to Ambulance Tasmania’s culture
Ambulance Tasmania’s biggest asset is its people.
To be able to provide their vital role of delivering emergency care and support to the Tasmanian community, staff need to feel safe and supported in the workplace.
Today, the Department of Health welcomes Ambulance Tasmania’s Cultural Improvement Action Plan which is an immediate and long-term commitment to build safe, supportive work environments of professionalism, dignity, and respect.
We recognise that this comprehensive Action Plan and improvements to Ambulance Tasmania’s work culture is required.
Since the tragic death of Ambulance Tasmania paramedic Damian Crump in 2016, we have encouraged important feedback from across the organisation about ways in which we can better support staff and wellbeing.
Through staff consultations and an anonymous Resilience Scan undertaken in 2021, we have engaged extensively with staff and heard valuable insights into lived experiences from Ambulance Tasmania’s workplace.
The data collected from the Resilience Scan, as well as follow up consultation sessions, was very comprehensive and provided the executive team with suggestions for actions from the perspective of Ambulance Tasmania’s people.
Key themes identified where improvements can be made include organisational culture, leadership, acting on feedback, and the availability of mental health and wellbeing support.
The Cultural Improvement Action Plan sets out plans to improve and update policies, procedures, staff communication, leadership styles, career development, management support, decision making processes, and mental health and wellbeing support.
The Action Plan also contains an extensive list of tasks to occur in the next three, six, nine, 18 and 24 months.
Importantly, many changes have already been introduced to improve culture within Ambulance Tasmania, including the introduction of a Peer Support team, an organisational restructure, medication management advancements and the recent creation of a Cultural Change Advisory Committee.
However, Ambulance Tasmania acknowledges that this will be a long-term process and the journey has only just begun.
Ambulance Tasmania’s Cultural Improvement Action Plan is a positive step in the right direction and aligns with our broader goal to reform workplaces in all areas of the health sector.
As part of the 2021-22 Tasmanian Budget, the Tasmanian Government has invested $5 million to implement a One Health Cultural Improvement Plan that encourages staff to empower and respect each other as they work, learn, and collaborate together.
Ambulance Tasmania and the Tasmanian Government are deeply committed to cultural improvement and this Cultural Improvement Action Plan will better support staff to do what they do best – provide quality healthcare for all Tasmanians in the right place, at the right time.
To access the Action Plan, visit Ambulance Tasmania launches Culture Improvement Action Plan | Tasmanian Department of Health.
